The Song he Sang at Dawn
by ellionheart96
Summary: When the cadet Eren Jäger joined the secret organization called Wings of Freedom, he did it with only one goal in mind: revenge. Falling in love surely wasn't in his plans, especially not with humanity's strongest soldier. However, being secret lovers was just the start of the many trials they had to endure to reach their happy ending. [Omegaverse AU]
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Mutters Lied**

The countries of Marley and Eldia had been in conflict for more than a hundred years. In the year 822, Marley declared war to Eldia. The small but rich Island immediately started building three massive walls. During their construction, that lasted ten long years, the King send countless soldiers to their deaths to protect them. Their sacrifice, made possible the salvation of hundreds thousands of people inside of Eldia.

However….

Shiganshina, year 842.

The first spring's flowers were already blooming. Eren Jäger, a seven year old, observed the cherry blossoms petals dance in the wind, and then fall softly on the ground.  
Laying upon the grass, he moved his sight from the petals to the sky. He loved seeing how the clouds moved and dissappeared behind that grey, imposing wall that separated them from the rest of the world.  
How he wished he could ride one of those clouds, fly over the wall and finally see what was out there.  
Then, he saw raven tresses hovering over him.  
"Mikasa," he raised himself to a sitting position, then turned around to face the girl.  
"Mom needs help with the laundry," she waited for the boy to get up on his feet, and then they headed home together.

Once home, the two helped their mother carry the baskets full of clean laundry outside. The smell of fresh soap, together with the scent of the blossoming flowers created a warm, picturesque atmosphere. Everything was accompanied with the sweet singing of Carla Jäger, Eren's beloved mother.  
"_Zählt mit dir die Tausend Sterne, bis am morgen in der Ferne_," If Eren was ever to be asked what home was, his mother's singing would be the first thing to come to mind.  
"_Sich die Sonne zeigt,_" Mikasa and Eren started singing along. In truth, the two weren't siblings by blood. Her parents, along with Eren's father, died fighting in the war four years prior. The parents of the two children shared a strong bond of friendship.  
That's why Carla Jäger, despite being a young widow with a child in tow, decided to adopt the little girl, who was only three years old at the time.  
Mikasa knew Carla wasn't her real mother. Still, she called her mom, and sometimes even forgot she wasn't. She was the only mother the little girl had ever known.  
"_Ein Engel bringt dich dann zurück_-"  
"Eren! Mikasa!" A blond kid was running toward them, carrying a brown messenger bag that seemed to be heavy, judging from the way he was slouching to one side.  
"Armin, why are you running like a ghost's chasing you?"  
"I need to show you guys something really cool!" He gestured for them to follow them, when Mikasa promptly interposed, "But we're not done with the laundry."  
Eren turned around to look at his mom with pleading eyes. She giggled, unable to say no to those puppy eyes, and said, "Go ahead, I'll finish on my own."  
Eren's eyes lighted up, his smile spreading from ear to ear. He ran toward his mother to give her a quick hug, and then left with Armin and Mikasa.

Once they reached a sakura three on the top of a small hill, the blonde kid finally stopped.  
"So? What did you want to show us?" Eren said, hopping in place, eyes brimming with expectation.  
"I've been snooping around my granpa's attic…" Armin put his hand in his bag, and pulled out a rectangular black tome, "…and look what I've found!" He esclaimed, proudly raising the book up in the air.  
"Another book on the outside world?!" When Eren started hopping even faster, Armin tagged along and added, "And this one doesn't have pictures like the other one, but actual photographs!"  
All while Mikasa looked at them and yawned.  
"I've always dreamed of going behind the walls to see the ocean!"  
"I want to go behind the walls too!"  
"I'm good here," Mikasa spoke, and the two little boys stopped to look at her.  
"Really Mikasa? You're okay with being stuck in the same place?" Eren questioned, disbelief in his eyes.  
"Yep," She replied simply.  
"Bu-But, the outside world has uncountable wonders, like burning water, lands of ice, fields of sand…"  
"Yeah, whatever," She stopped Armin before he could go on, and then started walking away, "I'm going home to see if mom needs any help."  
Eren and Armin remained sitting under the tree for hours, looking at the photographs in Armin's book.  
"I never thought the ocean was this beautiful…" Eren couldn't stop contemplating the stretches of sea green water that met the blue of the sky.  
"If it looks like this on paper, imagine how vivid the green will look in person!" Armin smiled, daydreaming.  
"Do you think we will ever see it in person?"  
"Of course! Once the war is over, we'll be free to go wherever we want. My granpa told me that when he was young, he traveled to Marley with a ship, and then he went to an asian country, where he went on a thing called zeppelin."  
"Zeppelin?"  
"Yes! It's like a big, long ballon that floats in the air. I think there was a picture of it in here, let me see…"  
While Armin was flipping the pages, Eren looked up at the sky.  
"Armin?" When the blonde raised his eyes from the book to look at his best friend, he saw him with wide eyes, the mouth agape, and his face pale. Eren pointed at the sky and asked, "Is this zeppelin you're talking about… something like that?"  
The blonde turned around and saw it. The zeppelin he had just been describing to his friend was there, big and imposing, hovering over the wall. Part of him wanted to shriek with wonder and excitement, but something about it felt terribly wrong. When the seashell emblem came within his eyesight, everything became clear.  
"Eren, that flag…!"  
"They're soldiers from Marley! We're being invaded!"  
"We have to tell mister Hannes and the other stationary guards!"  
"No! I have to go home! Mom and Mikasa are there!"

Before Armin could stop him, Eren was already gone. He ran. And ran. He didn't hear Armin calling his name again and again. He didn't even hear the first bomb being dropped on the front gate. He didn't see the people running toward the opposite direction. The only thing he heard, were his steps and the beating of his heart. The only thing he saw, were his mother and his sister's faces in his mind's eye.  
When he flung the door open, panic surged through him. The house was empty.  
"Mom! Mikasa!" he called, the tears that filled his eyes already cascading on his cheeks.  
"Eren…?" in that moment, the closet door opened, revealing his mom and sister hugging one another. Eren ran to them, joining the hug. Their mother held them both close, kissing them on the top of their heads.  
"Oh, my babies! Thank god you're both okay!" their moment was interrupted by the sound of gunfire, followed by screams, "You see an Eldian, you shoot! Women and children, all the same! Kill all of them!"  
The children began shaking in Carla's arms, "Quick, get in the closet!" she got on her feet, pushing Eren inside of the closet with Mikasa, "Whatever happens, don't open the door," she then proceeded to close them inside.  
"But mom, were are you going to hid-" before Eren could finish, Mikasa wrapped her arms around him from behind, putting a hand on his mouth. From the small crack in the door, he could see his mother hurrying to close the front door, but it was too late. Two soldiers had already entered the house. The first went to searching around the house, while the second was pointing his shotgun at Carla.  
"Where do you keep the money, you harlot?" He spat, but Carla wasn't intimidated, "The vault's behind that picture," her voice didn't quiver, her knees didn't shake. She stood tall, and strong. They could take away anything they wanted, money, gold, jewels… even her life. But they weren't going to take away her dignity. Even in a moment like that, Eren couldn't help feeling admiration and pride for his mother.

He had hoped their money was all those soldiers wanted. He had hoped that once they got it, they would just go away. But just as they stored away their booty in their bags, the soldier asked, "You're alone here?" to which Carla replied, "Yes. There's no one else."  
What came after was the sound of gunshot, and then a dull thump on the floor. Eren started thrashing like crazy, trying to free himself from Mikasa's grip. But she didn't let go, not until she was sure the soldiers were gone. If anything, she held him tighter.

Eren and Mikasa were found hours later, by Hannes who had been informed by Armin of their position. Eren was soaked in blood, clinging to his mother's dead body, while Mikasa was curled up in a corner, crying silent tears.  
"Kids, we need to go, now." He took Mikasa by her hand and tried to take Eren away too, but the child clung even harder to his mother's body.

"No! Mom! Wake up!" he cried, cradling her head. Her closed eyelids and peaceful expression really gave the illusion of sleep, if it wasn't for the blood gushing from the bullet hole in her chest.  
It looked like Carla Jäger had passed away, quick and painless, knowing that her two children were safe.  
"Eren… your mother isn't gonna wake up…!" Hannes declared with grief, but the child didn't hear him. He kept bawling, pleading his mom to open her eyes. The man picked him up by force, carrying him over his shoulder. The little boy kept flailing around and screaming, demanding to be let down, "We can't leave her here! Mom! MOOOM!"

When they walked outside, what they saw was the aftermath of hell. The streets were reeking of blood. Corpes lied in every corner. The Marleyan soldiers had savaged and pillaged, leaving the town destroyed and countless victims behind. The only people who were able to escape the massacre, were the ones who were successful in hiding. Like the two children Hannes was carrying away from that inferno.

Out of the 2000 inhabitants of Shiganshina, only 358 made it back alive. The few hundred survivors, mostly children, were put on a train and sent to the internal territories. Eren and Mikasa found Armin on the train, curled up in a corner, crying his eyes out. Just like Eren, he too had his clothes stained with the blood of a loved one. There were no exchange of words between the three children, just a group hug in which they cried all their tears.

That day, Armin, Eren and Mikasa were left alone in a big, cruel world. Alone, but with each others. While watching the ruins of his beloved town fading in the distance from the train window, Eren clutched his fists and made a vow of revenge: "I will kill all of them! I'll kill every Marleyan soldier on this earth, until there are no more left!"


	2. Chapter 2: an Unbreakable Connection

**Chapter Two: An Unbreakable Connection**

Orvud, January 29th 847.

"You gotta be kidding me, Armin!" Eren was fuming, his cheeks flushed despise the bone chilling cold. Armin had both his hands on his chest, his posture slightly hunched. His best friend had reacted just as he had imagined he would. How the blonde had mustered the courage to go and tell him, he himself still had no idea.

"But Eren, Goskritt has one of the best educational programs in the whole world…" Armin tried to explain, meekly. A drop of sweat ran down Eren's clenched jaw, "I don't care!" he yelled, "Goskritt's in Marley, did you already forget what those monsters did five years ago?!"

"Of course I haven't forgotten that!" Armin protested.

"Then how could you even think of studying in Marley?! You shouldn't want anything to do with those bastards after what they did!" tears threatened to fall from his bloodshot eyes.

"Eren… I believe the people behind the walls are just like us. They wish for peace just as much as we do," Armin attempted a diplomatic approacch, but it was hard to reason with Eren when his temper was overshadowing his judgement.

"Bullshit! Do you really believe Marley wants to negotiate a lasting peace? Open your eyes! This armistice was just an excuse to rob us! They're the enemy that just wants to destroy us!" he screamed, voice trembling, cheeks wet by angry tears.

"If you go there they'll just stab you in the back when you least expect it! Or even worse, they'll turn you into one of them! Do you want pass on the enemy's side, Armin?! Are you gonna be a disgusting traitor?! Or are you just a coward?!"

"Enough, Eren!" at that point Mikasa, who had been silently watching, shoved her brother and he fell face first in the snow, "Armin's neither a traitor nor a coward."

"You're both cowards! If you weren't you would join me in the military!"

"Not everyone wants to waste their lives fighting someone else's war," she stated, crossing her arms.

"Someone else's?!" Eren looked affronted, "I want to fight for our freedom!"

"And me and Armin want to live our lives without all this bullshit!", then asked "Eren, in the tailor shop where I'm interning, they're looking for an errand boy. Why don't you come with me?"

"So I can waste my life in small shop instead? No, thank you!" And with that, he runned away. Mikasa sighed heavily, his answer didn't surprise her in the least. She felt stupid for hoping he could change his mind about enlisting.

"Figures."

"To be honest, Mikasa, I'm surprised you're not following him in the military."

Mikasa was overprotective of Eren. Immediately after the fall of Shiganshina, Eren started talking about becoming a soldier and fightning for Eldia. Worried, Mikasa had always said he would have joined him, to keep him safe. After seeing their mother die, even the thought of loosing another loved one made her sick to her stomach.

But everything changed when on the 3rd of August 845, King Rod Reiss signed an armistice that put the confict between the two nations at rest. Believing Eren life wasn't in danger even if he enlisted, Mikasa opted for a quieter lifestyle, and became an apprentice at the local tailor shop.

"The war has ended. He'll be fine."

In the dining hall, the children were drooling in the sweet anticipation of dessert. All of them except for Mikasa, who wasn't very fond of sweets, and Armin.

"I knows he hates Marley, but I thought that he would have been happy for me…" he had his cheek rested on his hand, looking down, "I though I didn't even pass test, but I did so well they gave me a Mare Card…"

One of the condition of the armistice, was the prohibition for Eldian people to enter Marley's territory. Mare Cards where special authorization that were given to people with outstanding abilities, intellenctual or physical, that Marley's goverment thought would be beneficial to them. Eren used to call them _Marley's lackeys._ Did Eren also consider him a lackey now? Armin felt a pang in his chest at the thought.

"C'mon Armin, he'll realize he's being an asshole and apologize," Mikasa tried to cheer him up, munching on her cinnamon roll.

"Are you gonna eat that?" She asked, pointing at his uneaten sweet treat. Armin had been so lost in his thoughts, that he noticed the sugary bun in his plate only after Mikasa had pointed it out.

"You better, since I baked them myself," a sweet voice chimed in.

"Big sister Frieda!" Armin exclaimed, raising his eyes. The raven haired young woman smiled fondly at them, her blue eyes sparkling in the soft winter daylight.

"Where is Eren? Weird to not see him here stuffing his mouth. Did no one tell him cinnabuns were on the menu today?" she asked cheerily, but at the mention of the brunet, Armin's eyes clouded and he lowered his gaze yet again. Frieda looked at him worried, and then at Mikasa, "They had a fight," she explained.

"What?! Eren and Armin?!" She yelled, eyes wide in disbelief. She had worked in the orphanage for many years, but she had never seen a pair of friends that were as close as Eren and Armin were. The thought of them fighting felt foreign and absurd… unless, "Oh, wait… lemme guess, you told him?" Armin's gloomy expression was enough to tell her the answer. In response, she winked at him, "I'll handle it," she said before turning her back, heading for the door.

Frieda was beloved and adored by all the children in the orphanage, but no one knew she was secretly the Crown Princess Frieda Reiss, daughter of Rod Reiss the king. If her father ever found out how she helped the orphanage, by buying food, clothes, playing with the children and most of all working like a common peasant, he would no doubt lock her in the golden cage of the royal castle. Like she's always been since she was born. She was the Crown Princess, but no one in all of Eldia ever saw her face.

That's why it had been so easy for her to hide her true identity, and help as many children as possible. That was her mission, and no one was going to halt her from carrying it out.

Since the age for the orphans to be released was now 15 years old, her biggest worry was to make sure none of them ended up on the streets. It was her who found Mikasa an occupation at the tailor shop, and did the same with many other children.

Eren had alwasy stood out to her. Eyes bright, fierce and strong, so different from the countless fragile children with broken eyes she had seen over the years. Ever since he came to live in the orphanage, at the age of seven, he'd always been saying he was going to enlist. Frieda had never seen anyone with such a clear goal in mind at such a tender age.

That's why she hadn't worried herself much about Eren's future, but was now starting to lament her own actions. She found him sitting on the fence, and heard little hiccups coming from his small frame. Maybe she had been wrong about him, his fierceness was perhaps only a façade to hide his fragility.

"Eren dear, are you crying?"

"No! I'm not!" he quickly wiped his face clean with his sleeve, "It's just melted snow," she found his poor attempts at hiding his feelings adorable.

"Don't you wanna come inside to eat something?"

"I'm not hungry."

"I baked cinnabuns for dessert," she tweeted, hoping the info would lure him inside. The offer was tempting, but Eren decided to stay mad, "I don't want any."

Frieda gasped, "Gosh, it must be serious then!" she then took a seat next to him on the fence. He was trembling, as if he was trying to hold his emotions in.

"C'mon, tell big sister Frieda what's the problem," she said, giving him a tender poke on the shoulder.

"He's a traitor! A big, fat traitor!" he vented, this time not stopping the angry tears from falling from his eyes.

"Who?"

"Armin! He's betraying our country! He wants to study in Marley, can you believe that?!"

"I know," Frieda started fidgeting with her fingers, "I helped him send the application..." she fliched, already expecting an angry outburts. Instead, Eren stared at her with his big, green eyes wide open, the mouth agape trying to speak, but no words came out.

He managed to stammer out only a few words, "You… You WHAT? B-But big sis…?!"

"I know you're confused right now, dear. But you know that Armin's always dreamed of seeing the world behind the walls."

"I do too! That's why I'm enlisting! So I can kill all those bastards soldiers and avenge my mom, and then see the world with Armin!"

"Oh, honey…" Frieda stroked his hair, eyes filled with sorrow and compassion, "Marley is not made of just soldiers. It's full of people like me and you, who just want to live their lives in peace."

"I don't care! They're keeping us caged, so they're the bad guys," his response didn't surprise her, he was still too young to understand that the world wasn't in black and white. He still held the childish view that the world was divided in good and bad people, in _us_ and _them_. Who could ever blame this child, still unaware of the world, for thinking of Marley as his enemy? But she had faith he was going to understand one day.

"But that's not the only problem, is it?" she asked, running her hand back and fort on his back in a comforting manner.

"We were supposed to go see the world outside together…why is he leaving me behind?" He confessed, looking at his hands.

"Well, then how about you send the application too? Then Armin will help you study for the test!" Frieda suggested, enthustiastically. But Eren buried his face in his hands, once again on the verge of tears, "I'm not smart, big sis, I've never been!" he whined, "There's no way I'd get a Mare Card like Armin did…"

It was true that Eren though of people with Mare Cards as Marley's lackeys, but deep within his heart, he truly desired one. Not that he had any intention of ever going to Marley, but they owned the seas surrounding their Island. Which meant, that without a Mare Card, it was impossible for Eldians to leave. They were stuck on their heavenly Island, surrounded by a cage of sapphire blue. Beautiful, but a cage nevertheless. Never would they be able to see the world outside. Most of the Eldians didn't really care, but Eren wasn't like them, there's was nothing in the world he desired more than seeing the world.

"But what if you could? Would you follow Armin to Marley?"

Eren's answer was immediate, "No, I'd still choose to fight."

He'd rather fight and die even for a single day of freedom, than live a hundred years in a temporary peace. He was not going to give Marley that satisfaction. He was going to obtain freedom in his own way.

"Ahem," they were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Mikasa, who was holding something in her hand.

"Mikasa! I'm sorry I called you a co-"

"Armin told me to tell you that I saved you this," she threw a little bundle at Eren, which he was barely able to catch, and before leaving, she added "I did not."

The bundle was still warm and smelled of cinnamon and vanilla. He didn't need to open it to know it was a cinnamon roll.

"Armin…" If Eren felt bad for how he had treated him before, he now felt utterly ashamed. It didn't matter that they had a fight, he knew cinnamon rolls were his favorite sweets and still saved him one.

Frieda put a hand on his shoulder encouragingly, "I think you should tell him how you feel about this. C'mon, go."

Eren didn't make her say it twice.

If he knew Armin, he would find him in the common room near the fireplace. And predictably, there he was, brooding, with his nose stuck in a book. Eren sat silenty next to him, without saying a word. Armin raised his eyes from his book to look at the unexpected visitor, but when he saw Eren, he furrowed his brows and buried his face in the book again.

"I'm sorry, Armin. I'm an asshole." Armin lowered his book, looking at his best friend with incredulous eyes. It was the first time he had ever heard Eren admit he was wrong. He thought that big sister Frieda was really able to work miracles.

"I'm sorry for calling you a traitor and a coward."

"Apology accepted," Armin said, giving him a smile. Eren split the cinnamon roll he still had in his hands in two perfect halves, and offered one to the blonde, "Want to share?" he gladly accepted the half, and for a while they just ate in silence.

"Do you think of me as a lackey?" the blonde asked, out of the blue.

"No. I guess… I got mad because I was jealous."

"What, why?"

"Because you get to see the world beyond the walls before I do. And I was so mad, 'cause I always thought we were going to see it together! Instead you're going alone, leaving me here…"

"Eren, I'm… I'm so sorry, I had no idea you felt that way…"

"It doesn't matter. We will travel through the world together one day, right? You'll wait for me?" Armin nodded, the tears stuck in his throat preventing him from talking. He threw his arms around the brunet and locked him in a hug that felt endless.

"So you're not mad at me anymore, for going to study in Goskritt?" he said as he finally pulled away.

"I want you to follow your dreams, Armin. But you have to promise me one thing," Eren said and Armin was all ears, "When the war starts, come back to Eldia."

"Why are you so sure a new war will start?"

"Just promise me you will if it does. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Eren, you're… pretty confident we would win if a war erupts."

"Of course I am! With me on the front line, those Marleyans better start running if they value their lives!"

March came sooner than they had expected. The snow had melted, the swallows painted the spring's sky once again. Sakura trees were already blooming with flowers. Armin, Mikasa and Eren, who had always been an united trio, were now taking different paths. They said their goodbyes to one anothers with a group hug, and a promise to write to each other as often as they could.

Mikasa's intership at the tailor shop ended and she finally started working full time. Armin left for Marley on a ship, while Eren joined the military. With fire in his eyes, he had more determination than all of the other trainees combined.

When the instructor asked him why he was there, his answer was absolute, "For the glory of Eldia!"


End file.
